Quincy Lady Orioles roll on Reading for Big 8 win

QUINCY — A number of big offensive runs propelled the Quincy Lady Orioles to a key Big 8 conference victory over their rivals from Reading by the score of 60-36.

Both teams struggled to find any real offensive flow throughout the first quarter of play, as an early three from Cailyn Cook led to a 5-0 run from the Orioles.

Reading came right back behind the three point shooting of sophomore Isabella North, tying the score at 8-8 with 1:25 left in the first quarter.

Quincy added a tough bucket from Destiny Skirka on the next trip down the floor, giving the Orioles a 10-8 lead after one quarter of play.

After the first quarter it was all Orioles, as big runs from Quincy in the second, third, and fourth quarters pushed them to the victory.

“After a poor first quarter, I thought we played really well for the final three,” said Quincy head coach Ritch Adams. “We played good, aggressive defense, and we did a really nice job of getting good shots. I thought we made excellent decisions on the offensive end which led to good scoring opportunities and we finished strong when we had the chance to score.”

Quincy opened the second quarter with a full court press that led to some great opportunities on the offensive end, a press that allowed the Orioles to go on a 12-3 run over the first three minutes of play, forcing a Reading timeout.

The Rangers would battle back with some impressive three point shooting, showing some grit in a game that was in danger of getting out of hand.

Quincy outscored Reading 19-11 in the second quarter to take a 29-19 lead into the locker room for halftime adjustments.

The Orioles came storming out of the gate to put together yet another run in the third quarter, scoring 10 straight points to build a big 39-19 advantage.

Reading came roaring back with a run of their own, scoring nine straight points to close the score to within 39-28 with 3:30 left in the third quarter.

Quincy broke the scoreless streak on a three pointer from Katie Rathbun, bringing the score to 42-28.

Both offenses struggled to end the third quarter, with Quincy taking a 44-28 lead after three quarters of play.

Yet another run for Quincy to start the fourth quarter essentially put the game away as the Orioles outscored Reading 16-8 in the final period to take the 60-36 victory.

“We shot 29 free throws tonight which is a great sign that we are executing and being aggressive,” said Adams. “All the girls played well, but Payton Hines and Katie Rathbun really stood out tonight. Payton played a great all-around game and really filled the stat book.”

Hines did in fact lead the Oriole effort, recording 17 points, five rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

Also adding to the Quincy effort was Katie Rathbun with 21 points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists; Cailyn Cook with nine points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals; Al Parshall with seven points, six rebounds, two steals and two assists; Destiny Skirka with four points, three rebounds and one assist; Madison Hinds with two points, nine rebounds and one assist; and Hannah Clark with two rebounds.

Quincy improves to 8-5 overall on the season and 4-4 in the Big 8 conference.

Reading was led on the night by Baleigh Irelan with 13 points and five rebounds.

Also adding to the Ranger output was Cassidy Smith with 11 points; Raylynn Swick with five points; Carli Harrington with four points; and Isabella North with three points.

Reading is now 2-12 on the season and 0-8 in the Big 8 conference.

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